title: Assessing the extirpative quality of a radical prostatectomy technique: categorisation and mapping of technical errors.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the extirpative quality of an open radical prostatectomy (RP) technique by first categorising and mapping all intraprostatic incisions into benign tissue and then determining a cumulative technical error rate given by all intraprostatic incisions into benign and malignant tissue.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a retrospective review of prospectively collected data relating to 1065 men with clinically localised prostate cancer who underwent open retropubic RP (70.6% nerve-sparing surgery [NSS]) by a single surgeon (January 2005 to December 2011). We recorded all intraprostatic incisions: (i) iatrogenic positive surgical margins (PSMs), (ii) deep or superficial benign capsular incisions (BCIs), (iii) incisions into benign prostate glands at the prostate apex or bladder neck (benign glandular tissue incisions [BGTIs]), and determined incision location, length and nature (solitary/multiple). We evaluated: (i) associations between benign incisions, NSS and PSMs, (ii) significant predictors for PSM risk by multivariate analysis, (iii) postoperative biochemical recurrence (BCR)-free survival (Kaplan-Meier method).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraprostatic incision rates were 2.3% pT2 PSMs, 6.0% BCIs and 5.4% BGTIs. There were slight variations in rate over time and with NSS technique. Benign incisions were located as follows: 46.8% right posterolateral, 37.5% left posterolateral, and 15.7% bilateral for BCIs; 58.6% bladder neck and 41.4% apical for BGTIs. The median (range) incision length, for solitary and multiple incisions respectively, was 4 (1-13) and 9 (2-25) mm for BCIs and 1 (1-5) and 2 (2-6) mm for BGTIs. BCI rate, but not BGTI rate, was significantly associated with NSS (P = 0.004) and PSM (P = 0.005), and increased PSM risk 3.6-fold. A PSM increased BCR risk two-fold (odds ratio 2.078, 95% confidence interval 1.383-3.122). BCR-free survival decreased significantly even for short PSMs (<1 mm; P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although the pT2 PSM rate was low (2.3%), the cumulative technical error rate (patients with at least one pT2 PSM, BCI or BGTI) was five-fold higher (12.5%). Categorising and mapping intraprostatic incisions is a tool surgeons can use in self-audits to identify areas of potential improvement, reduce errors, and improve surgical skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Jules Verne Clinic, Nantes, France.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barré
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thoulouzan
authors.forename: Geneviève
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aillet
authors.forename: Jean-Michel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nguyen
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019300:Medical Errors; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen
keywords: positive margin; prostate cancer; quality control; radical prostatectomy